Garden of Life

This is a metaphor, but it’s true: when we come into this world, we’re given seeds, and the opportunity truly is what we do with these seeds. What are they?

We can begin with very simple stuff. One of them can be the seed of anger. There is a seed of doubt and a seed of confusion. But there is also a seed of kindness, a seed of love, a seed of understanding. Whatever seed you sow in your garden, in this garden of life, ultimately, this is the tree you will rest under. How restful it will be directly depends on what kind of seed you sow.

There are certain trees that have beautiful flowers, but they produce a sap that does not allow grass to grow underneath. Every seed has a particular quality, something that it offers. But when it is sown, when it grows and becomes a tree, it will have very particular characteristics that you may or may not like.

I’m not here to pass judgment or say what kind of seed you should have sown. I merely point out some of the characteristics. You are capable of making that decision for yourself. You have enough intelligence to choose from a place of clarity what will benefit you the most. Human beings, given the circumstances that they can see clearly, will make the right decision.

What is it that you have planted? If you want to know what you have been nurturing, just open the window and look in your garden. You will see all the trees that are there.

Most of us have sown the seed of anger. There seems to be no hesitation to go near it, but what you end up with—the droppings from this tree—you don’t like. And you promise yourself you will never go near this tree again. But either you forget or you have become so used to living this life unconsciously, there is no hesitation to go right back to that tree and get that sap all over you. It’s disgusting, and sometimes this sap is so nasty that it can take a lifetime to get it out. Two people love each other, and then each one in turn visits their own little tree and gets sap, and then it’s, “I hate you. I wish you were never made.”

People plant the seed of doubt: “Is it really going to happen?” The tree of doubt comes. It’s also disgusting, because this tree has a dust that comes out of it that gets all over the place, and it takes what could be beautiful and turns it into nothing. In life, one of the biggest lessons to learn is to give every new day the benefit of positive doubt, “Maybe today is my day. Maybe today what he will say to me will be different.”

What about understanding? That seed may never have been sown, but it doesn’t matter. Whenever you sow these seeds, they will sprout, so it’s never too late. But what is the tree of understanding? We are taught to believe—“leap of faith.” That could be highly risky, and you don’t have to take that. You can replace that with understanding, understanding what it means to be alive.

Most people think, “I know what it means to be alive.” But your life is associated with your job, the things that happen around you. That is not your life. These things exist because I do, but they are not my existence. They will change; they may appear and disappear, but I will be. At the hub is your life, your understanding, your steps, your journey, your elation, your filling of heart, and the process of utter and total contentment.

What is it to be content? It is a feeling that emanates from within you, your basic core. Somebody asks you, “Are you satisfied?” You can say, “Yes, I have a good job, a good family, a good car, great friends, and even my pets listen to me, so I must be satisfied.” But are you content? Did you sow the seed of contentment?

Look and see what kinds of trees are in your garden. Did you sow the seed of understanding? We breed unconsciousness and then wonder what happens to us in our life. It cannot be. Take a look again at those seeds that you have been given and make some simple decisions, especially if you look in your yard and find a few trees that you assumed should have been there but are not. No problem. Seeds are in hand, sow them. Take care of them.

Nurture kindness in your life and you will be rewarded with the gift of kindness. Sow the seed of love and you will be rewarded with that most incredible feeling of love dancing in your heart. Sow the seed of understanding and you will be rewarded with understanding. Sow the seed of clarity and you will be rewarded with clarity.

Why should you do it? To feel kindness. To feel that true love. To feel that true understanding. To understand what it is like not to be in doubt. To understand that there is a place where there are answers—not for other people, but for you.